After much anticipation, the brand-new Laker Turf Stadium was officially put to use for the first time with Tuesday’s Laker Turf Stadium Kick-Off. The event promoted the first men’s soccer game of the 2015 season.

As the excited fans filed into the new bleachers, the season of Oswego State men’s soccer began at 4 p.m. on a beautiful summer afternoon against the St. Lawrence Saints.

The score was even at halftime, despite the Saints out-shooting the Lakers 13-2. Lakers senior goalie, Todd Lawson, had a strong first half with five saves and was helped by a stingy Laker defense to keep a goose egg in the Saints’ score box at halftime. Lawson finished with eight saves on the day, while facing frequent shots all game from a powerful St. Lawrence attack.

The Saints’ relentlessness on offense would pay off in the second half, however, as they would put the ball in the net three times, all while adding 12 more shots to their whopping total.

The first two goals came within a seven minute span, with Dan Hunt finding the corner of the net for the first and Ryan Grant blasting one through for the second. Grant would not be done after that, as the senior midfielder would find the back of the net again for his second score of the game, solidifying the Saints’ first victory of the season by a score of 3-0.

Offense was the story of this one for St. Lawrence, as they finished with a combined 25 shots, compared with seven for Oswego State.

Despite the final score, the Lakers displayed a promising performance against tough competition in the defending Liberty League Champion Saints. Notable Laker performances include eight saves by Lawson and three of the Laker’s seven shots coming off the foot of sophomore midfielder Connor Lunduski.

The Lakers look to bounce back from the loss this Friday as they face Canton at 3 pm.